Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Khamis Mushayt and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Khamis Mushayt: $1,207 a month against $1,586 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Khamis Mushayt
Learn more

Khamis Mushayt Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
Learn more

Cape Town Living Index

Jump to prices

Khamis Mushayt

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,207

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,586

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Khamis Mushayt and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Khamis Mushayt and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Khamis Mushayt vs $1,586 in Cape Town, rent included.

Khamis Mushayt $1,207
Cape Town $1,586

A couple spends around $1,692 per month in Khamis Mushayt vs $2,425 in Cape Town, rent included.

Khamis Mushayt $1,692
Cape Town $2,425

A family of three spends $2,176 per month in Khamis Mushayt vs $3,263 in Cape Town, rent included.

Khamis Mushayt $2,176
Cape Town $3,263

Khamis Mushayt is about 24% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Khamis Mushayt sits 11% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.52 SAR 16.97

$12.14 R 200

-62.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.95 SAR 120

$45.34 R 747

-29.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 SAR 26.36

$5.88 R 96.9

19.56%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.78 SAR 6.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 SAR 9.69

Cappuccino

$2.91 SAR 10.92

$2.50 R 41.18

16.40%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 SAR 2.59

$1.27 R 20.94

-45.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 SAR 0.87

$0.98 R 16.14

-76.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.99 R 49.33

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 R 61.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 SAR 6.06

$1.30 R 21.40

24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 SAR 1.43

$1.25 R 20.68

-69.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.24 SAR 12.15

$2.23 R 36.76

45.29%

Eggs

$2.41 SAR 9.03

$3.11 R 51.2

-22.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.19 SAR 23.24

$9.06 R 149

-31.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.59 SAR 20.98

$6.92 R 114

-19.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.54 SAR 50.8

$9.30 R 153

45.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.14 SAR 8.02

$1.84 R 30.25

16.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 SAR 6.58

$1.96 R 32.29

-10.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 SAR 5.97

$1.67 R 27.45

-4.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.86

$2.17 R 35.70

-28.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.41

$1.57 R 25.81

-25.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.34 SAR 5.01

$1.48 R 24.45

-9.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 SAR 4.44

$1.30 R 21.41

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 SAR 2.00

$1.13 R 18.60

-53.10%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.81 SAR 10.53

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 SAR 6.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 SAR 7.85

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 SAR 25.66

$3.60 R 59.3

90.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.15 R 101

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.66

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 R 35.20

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 SAR 4.06

$1.50 R 24.65

-28.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.06 SAR 158

$60.8 R 1,001

-30.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.60 SAR 9.75

$0.59 R 9.71

340.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$1.50 R 24.65

14.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.65 SAR 55.0

$5.11 R 84.2

186.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.41

$1.55 R 25.50

-58.71%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$41.8K SAR 156.9K

$36.2K R 596.5K

15.46%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.4K SAR 84.1K

$31.2K R 514.8K

-28.29%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$105 SAR 395

$114 R 1,883

-7.82%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.67 SAR 123

$28.91 R 476

13.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.3 SAR 271

$39.73 R 654

82.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$81.6 SAR 306

$49.01 R 808

66.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.99 R 181

Cinema Ticket

$13.17 SAR 49.43

$9.15 R 151

43.93%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$475 SAR 1,782

$259 R 4,264

83.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,865 SAR 25.8K

$6,794 R 111.9K

1.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.16 SAR 169

$56.2 R 926

-19.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 SAR 189

$32.41 R 534

55.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 SAR 396

$121 R 1,987

-12.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.1 SAR 312

$108 R 1,781

-23.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 SAR 1,990

$1,021 R 16.8K

-48.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$425 SAR 1,594

$717 R 11.8K

-40.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$849 SAR 3,187

$1,824 R 30.1K

-53.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$517 SAR 1,941

$1,327 R 21.9K

-61.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,044 SAR 7,669

$2,391 R 39.4K

-14.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,575 SAR 5,911

$1,542 R 25.4K

2.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,606 SAR 6,027

$1,639 R 27.0K

-1.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

10.97

-49.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Khamis Mushayt: October 12, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Khamis Mushayt

$425 35.2%

Cape Town

$717 45.2% 68.7% $292

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Khamis Mushayt

$210 17.4%

Cape Town

$183 11.5% 13% $27

Groceries & Markets

Khamis Mushayt

$182 15.1%

Cape Town

$225 14.2% 23.3% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Khamis Mushayt

$128 10.6%

Cape Town

$143 9% 11.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Khamis Mushayt

$108 8.9%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 37.6% $41

Eating Out

Khamis Mushayt

$96 7.9%

Cape Town

$176 11.1% 83.8% $80

Getting Around

Khamis Mushayt

$58 4.8%

Cape Town

$75 4.7% 29.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $530 in Khamis Mushayt versus $1,021 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Khamis Mushayt versus $45.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $225 – making Khamis Mushayt the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Khamis Mushayt

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

04:28 4:28 AM

03:28 3:28 AM

1 h behind Khamis Mushayt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

430,828

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Khamis Mushayt Cape Town 6,350 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Khamis Mushayt
Cape Town

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Khamis Mushayt vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 31% more than Khamis Mushayt, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,810 per month in Khamis Mushayt and $2,379 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Khamis Mushayt, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,207 in Khamis Mushayt and $1,586 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 31%.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Khamis Mushayt. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Khamis Mushayt, where all-in costs run around $1,207, than in Cape Town at $1,586. In Khamis Mushayt it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Khamis Mushayt costs $1,207 versus $1,586 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Khamis Mushayt. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cape Town makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.